The system eventually worked out for most of baseball's first-round draft picks. It didn't for Aaron Crow and the Washington Nationals.

Crow, the Missouri pitcher taken ninth overall, is the highest pick who didn't sign in what is becoming an annual late-night mad scramble approaching the Aug. 15 deadline.

Two other first-rounders didn't sign — No. 20 pick Joshua Fields with the Seattle Mariners and No. 28 pick Gerritt Cole with the New York Yankees. Cole, a high-schooler from Orange, Calif., will attend UCLA and Fields can still negotiate with the Mariners until next year's draft because he has completed his senior year at the University of Georgia.

College juniors and high school players who do not sign by Aug. 15 go back into next year's draft. The drafting team gets a corresponding choice next year. The Nationals will get a compensation pick after 2009's No. 9 selection in addition to their regular pick, which could be the first overall.

Crow has a year of eligibility left but has agreed to a contract with the Fort Worth Kats of the independent American Association.

"We're disappointed," said Nationals general manager Jim Bowden. "We wanted the player. … I have no regrets over taking him. I regret that we couldn't sign him."

Among those who signed: Pedro Alvarez, the No. 2 pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates, No. 3 Eric Hosmer by the Kansas City Royals, No. 4 Brian Matusz by the Baltimore Orioles, No. 5 Buster Posey by the San Francisco Giants and No. 7 Yonder Alonso by the Cincinnati Reds. Alvarez and Hosmer got $6 million bonuses and Posey got $6.2 million to top the $6.15 million No. 1 Tim Beckham got from the Tampa Bay Rays. Bowden said the final difference between Crow and the Nationals was about $500,000.

He said Crow's representatives, Hendricks Sports, initially asked for $9 million, far from the Nationals' $2.1 million starting point. Little changed, Bowden said, until 16 minutes from the deadline, when the Crow camp came down to $4.4 million. The Nationals had moved — in reponse to earlier deals signed by other first-rounders, Bowden said — to $3 million earlier in the evening, then to $3.5 million at the last minute, still short of Crow's final $4 million figure.

Crow's agents would not specifically comment on dollar figures but did not dispute Bowden's. As the deadline approached, Bowden said, an offer of a major league contract was rescined because time did not remain for Crow to come to Washington for a physical.

Alonso, two picks ahead of Crow, signed for $4.5 million while Justin Smoak, two picks after Crow, signed in the final hours with Texas for $3.5 million.

"We don't slot players," said Bowden, pointing out that his team gave 2007 first-round pick Ross Detwiler $2.1 million and sixth-rounder Jack McGeary a record (for that round) $1.6 million. "We value players. …Pedro Alvarez, I thought, was a real good signing. He's going to hit in the middle of their order real soon."

No such immediate dividends for the Nationals.

"There's a lot of pitchers in next year's draft," Bowden said. "We're just going to have to wait 10 months."

Bowden said he'd prefer a system with slotting in which players have to "sign into the draft," thus agreeing to the system in advance. That, he realizes, isn't likely to happen anytime soon.

"If you're going to have a system like this, then it's good to have a deadline," Bowden said. "But I'm not sure that's the best way to do business."

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.

Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more.